Ballast treating



M. SIMS.

BALLAST TREATING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1916. RENEWED AUG. 13.1919.

. Patented Feb. 3,1920.

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BALLAsT' TREATING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

2 Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

Application filed June 7, 1916, Serial No. 102,162. Renewed August' 13, 1919. Serial-No. 317,344.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIRABEAU SIMS, a

cleaning the ballast where cleaning is nec.-

essary.

It is well known that ballast must be removed from between the ties for the purpose 'of cleaning thesame, or repacking, or for the purpose of replacing Worn ties by new ones. It is alsocommon in correcting the grade of the road bed to take material from adjacent land or banks or to deliver material thereto. It is known that the process now universally employed in such removal is extremely slow and tedious; requiring the labor of many men.

The present invention provides method and means for such removal, cleaning ,and replacing, which accomplish the same amount of work in a' much shorter space of time, and by the employment of only two or three men, when, by the now common method, a great many men are required.

Referring-t0 the drawings,'which illustrate merely by way of examplefsuitable means for effecting my invention Figure 1 is a plan view of suitable apparatus for efiectingmy method.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same.

Fig. 3 is a front end elevation.

Fig. 1 is a rear end elevation.

Fig. 5 is a plan view on an enlarged scale, of a device for loosening the ballast at the intake mouth of the apparatus.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of same.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 of Fig. 5.

Similar numerals refer to'similar parts throughout the several views.

The floor or platform 10 is mounted on the wheels 11 adapted to track on the rails of the railroad to be operated upon. Upon this platform 10 is mounted the frame 12 upon which is supported the exhaust chamber 13, by means of the trunnions l i. Chamber 13 is connected by the pipe sections 15 and 16 with the exha-uster or blower 17,

The object is to provide which draws air from chamber 13 and dising its steam through pipe 19, adapted to be connected with the boiler of the locomotive-employed to move the car 01" platform 10. Connected with the chamber 13, about midway its vertical extension,;. is the conveyer pipe 20, which is provided with the three branche 21, 22 and 23 leading from intake months within the hoods 2-1, 25 and 26, one between the rails and one on each .side thereof; said hoods extending s'ufliciently beyond the ends of the ties 27 to operate upon the ballast that. usually lies around the ends of same. The total crosssectional areaof the three branches is slightly less than the cross-sectional area of the main pipe 20. The sever-a1 hoods 24, 25 and 26 areyertically movable with respect to the intake ends of pipes 21, 22 and 23, and are supported and moved by cables 28 running on sheaves 29 and operated by the hand. lever 30, and held in position by pawl and ratchet 31 and 32. By this means the hoods may be lifted free of switches, crossrails and thelike.

The chamber 13 is provided with the conical bottom 33 discharging to the chute 34 which delivers to the inclined rotating screen 35. The sittings from screen35 are .pipe 38 to any desired point such as agondola. car not shown.

The screen 35 is rotating by means ofithe gear or annular rack 13 on the end thereof and a cooperating pinion driven by a belt 44 from the engine 512.

A, tub or receptacle 45 is provided at the discharge end of the rotating screen and has a chute 46 projecting therefrom. This tub 45 is preferably mounted on rollers or casters 17, so that the tub may be rotated to bring the chilte into different positions, and thus provide means for delivering the screened ballast to any desired point.

In case the ballast becomes unduly packed between the ties, so that it is diflicult to move it by the suction created at the mouths of the conveyer pipes 21,22 and'23, a device is provided for the intake ends of these conveyer pipes, such as is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. It comprises the housing 48 secured to the end of the pipe as for example 21. In this housing is provided an annular channel, in which rotates a collar or other suitable body &9, having a peripheral rack 50,'cooperating. with the P111101! 51 which is driven by the flexible shaft 52, from any suitable source of power, such for example as the engine 18 This rotating body 4:9 is provided with a series of fingers or spikes 53 adapted to engage and loosen the ballast or other material to be operated upon as the same is drawn into the conveyer pipes.

This device may also be advantageously used with a suitable suction nozzle in other analogous ways, such for example, where it is desired to remove portions of the banks flanking the railroad, or to translate material from one part of, or from a place adjacent the road bed, to another place, and the device is especially useful when operating upon hard, stony, or clay soil which i must first be broken up before removing.

. carrying the suction n zzles fr m the spac Operation.

The method of operation which may be effected by the apparatus above described is as follows:

The suction hoods 24, 25 and 26 are lowered into position over the ties and between and on each side of the rails as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The blower 17 then operates to create a suction in chamber 13 which is communicated through the conveyer pipe 10 to the several suction mouths and surrounding hoods 2%. This carries theballast or a other material through conveyer pipe 20 and delivers the same into chamber 13, where it falls toward the bottom of the chamber.

A suitable valve 13 having a counterbalance 13 is provided as shown in Fig. 2, at the discharge in the bottom 33 of chamber 13. This valve is adapted to open and discharge the ballast and dirt or other material, when a'predetermined amount of material has collected in chamber 13.

This ballast and dirt is delivered to therotating screen 35 whereby the dirt is sifted into the hoppers 36 and 37 and carried therefrom by the pipe 38, by the action of the blower 41 to a gondola car, or other suitable place, while the clean ballast is. de-

livered to the tub 45 and thence, through the chute 4:6, to any desired point as described.

It will be understood that the car or platform structure 10 is moved step by step,

between one pair point, or, in case it is not desired to return the ballast to between the'ties again directly,

as above described, thescreen may moved or opened at the bottom and the ballast delivered from chute 34 to hopper 36 and carried to any desired point through conveyor pipe 38.

When it is desired to move the structure through a tunnel or under a bridge the pipe sections 15 and 16 may be disconnected, as for example 'at 54, and from the blower at 55, while pipe 20 is disconnected at joint 56. The section 16 is on thesupporting rollers 57 intothe position shown in the dot and dash lines, and the chamber 13 is tilted on its trunnions in the position also shown in the dot and dash line in Fig. 2. Any suitable means for mov- 'ing the chamber into the horizontal position and back into the vertical position may be employed.

The hoods 24: and 26 mayalso be elevated and turned on their respective pipe ends into position with their longitudinal exten-' 2. The method which consists in liftingthe ballast from between the railroad ties by pneumatic pressure and screening. the dirt be rethen moved forward, 7

or other foreign substances therefrom, and

depositing the cleaned ballast at required places.

3. The method which consists 'in lifting the ballast from. between the railroad ties and screening thedirt or other foreign sub stances therefrom, and depositing the cleaned ballast at required places, and con-v veying by pneumatic pressure the dirt to required places of deposit.

4. Means for translating ballast and inter- I mingled dirt from between ties, by pneumatic pressure, means for screening said material and for depositing the cleaned ballast at required points. MIRABEAU SIMS,

Witness MAE HOFMANN, 

